Spokesperson of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Republic of Cyprus

As the year 2025 marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the EU, the upcoming China-EU Summit has attracted much attention. Over the past 50 years, China-EU relations have experienced twists and turns, steadily maturing into a stable partnership. We hope to review the path the two sides have travelled comprehensively and chart the course ahead correctly, together to forge an even brighter next 50 years for China-EU relations.

In March 2025, China released the official emblem commemorating the 50th anniversary of China-EU diplomatic relations. The emblem, featuring China red and EU blue as its primary colors, symbolizes five decades of close engagement and growing convergence of interests between the two sides.

Ⅰ Building on past achievements and charting the future, we will add new substances to and open new prospects for the China-EU comprehensive strategic partnership.

China and the EU are comprehensive strategic partners, as well as two major forces for building a multipolar world, two major markets supporting globalization, and two major civilizations championing diversity. Over the past 50 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, the two sides have maintained close exchanges at all levels and across various fields, yielding fruitful outcomes in dialogue and cooperation. People-to-people and cultural exchanges have flourished, and multilateral coordination has delivered solid results. China and the EU established a comprehensive partnership in 2001 and then upgraded it to a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2003. In 2014, we proposed building four major partnerships for peace, growth, reform, and civilization. China-EU ties become one of the most influential bilateral relations in the world. Bilateral cooperation has borne fruitful results, which gives a boost to each other’s development and progress, delivers tangibly for Chinese and EU people, greatly contributes to world peace and development, and sets an example of mutually beneficial cooperation in the era of economic globalization.

Both China and EU need to take the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations as an opportunity to thoroughly review and reaffirm important inspirations drawn from history. In other words, the China-EU relationship should be characterized as a partnership, with cooperation being the defining feature, independence the key value, win-win outcomes the prospect for development. Both sides need to cherish the efforts made by predecessors, carry forward the hard-won spirit of cooperation, and work together to open up the next 50 years of China-EU relations that will be more resilient and autonomous, more mature and stable, and more forward-looking.

Ⅱ The economic and trade cooperation between China and the EU is mutually complementary and beneficial, the two sides have already formed a strong economic symbiotic relationship.

Bilateral trade has surged from US$2.4 billion to US$785.8 billion annually. In 2024, China and the EU remained each other’s second-largest trading partners. China served as the EU’s third-largest export market and top import source, while the EU was China’s second-largest export market and second-largest import source. In the first half of 2025, China-EU import and export volume reached approximately $392.874 billion (¥2.82 trillion), averaging about $2.09 billion (¥15 billion) daily .The trade volume for a single day now is equivalent to that of a whole year in the past.

Chinese exports to the EU market contribute to Europe’s green and digital transformation while meeting diverse consumer demands. Meanwhile, a steady flow of European products enters China, with EU chemicals, optical goods, and aerospace products consistently accounting for over 30% of China’s total imports in these categories – exceeding 50% in some sectors. China has now become Cyprus’ second-largest trading partner. From Halloumi to Zivania, premium Cypriot products are reaching millions of Chinese households.

Two-way investment stock has grown from nearly zero to US$260 billion. Numerous European enterprises have invested in the Chinese market, actively participating in China’s economic development and reaping substantial returns. For instance, German automakers’ profits in China are 30 times those in their home market. Chinese enterprises have also been actively investing and operating in Europe, with accumulated investment exceeding $100 billion. The annual investment volume has now reached levels comparable to EU investment in China. As of 2023, Chinese enterprises had established over 2,800 direct investment entities across all 27 EU member states, creating more than 270,000 jobs locally.

Ⅲ Green is the distinctive color of China-EU cooperation,driving mutual economic transformation.

China and EU actively support low-carbon transition and green development, firmly uphold the international climate governance system based on the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. This year marks both the 10th anniversary of the Paris Agreement and the 20th anniversary of the China-EU Partnership on Climate Change. The cooperation across environmental protection, energy, circular economy, and water resources has yielded fruitful outcomes, significantly advancing green and low-carbon transitions while contributing substantially to global sustainable development.

In recent years, China’s electric vehicle and new energy battery industries have emerged as a new focal point for investment in Europe, further strengthening bilateral cooperation ties and injecting strong momentum into China-EU collaboration in green and low-carbon sectors.

Ⅳ China sees the EU as a preferred partner for scientific and technological cooperation.

The Chinese government adheres to an open innovation policy, expands international sci-tech exchanges and cooperation, and sees the EU as a preferred partner for scientific and technological cooperation. The China-EU High-Level Digital Dialogue has been established, with both sides joining hands to advance digital transformation and economic growth. China have actively pursued AI dialogue and cooperation with UK and France, working jointly to create and open, inclusive, and non-discriminatory environment for AI development that is beneficial to all. China’s Chang’e-6 lunar probe carries science payloads from Europe to explore the far side of the moon. China has also granted lunar sample access to six European countries, enabling joint scientific research for the benefit of all humanity.

Ⅴ People-to-people exchanges have become a vital force driving the development of China-EU relations.

The China-EU High-Level People-to-People Dialogue has been established to promote exchanges and cooperation in education, culture, science and technology, health, and other fields. Institutions such as the French Cultural Center, Germany’s Goethe-Institute, and Spain’s Cervantes Institute established in China, alongside Confucius Institutes and Chinese Cultural Centers in Europe, have become increasingly vital platforms for China-EU people-to-people exchanges.

The Confucius Institute at the University of Cyprus has been operating for over a decade, while the newly established Confucius Institute at the Cyprus University of Technology (launched in May 2023) further promotes Chinese language education locally and enhances China-Cyprus cultural exchanges. The “Mirror of Culture” column, co-created by the Chinese Embassy and the Cyprus Mail, serves as a new platform for civilisational dialogue, injecting vitality into building a community with a shared future for mankind.

China has currently implemented unilateral visa exemption for 32 European countries, including Cyprus. In 2024, bilateral China-EU personnel exchanges exceeded 9.7 million visits, with nearly 600 weekly flights now operating between the two regions.

Ⅵ China and the EU maintain close coordination on multilateral affairs to improve global governance.

China and the EU are steadfast advocates and active practitioners of multipolarization, committed to resolving international disputes through multilateralism and dialogue while opposing hegemonism and unilateralism. Both sides champion the democratization of international relations. Through close communication and coordination in the UN and other international organizations, China and the EU jointly uphold the UN-centered international system. The more turbulent the international situation becomes, the more pronounced the strategic value of China-EU relations grows.

China and the EU have jointly achieved significant milestones on international and multilateral fronts. Their naval escort fleets conducted joint anti-piracy drills in the Gulf of Aden, safeguarding maritime security. During the WTO Appellate Body crisis, China, the EU, and over a dozen WTO members established the Multi-Party Interim Appeal Arbitration Arrangement (MPIA) to preserve the multilateral trading system. The two sides co-published the China-EU Joint Statement on Climate Change, providing crucial political support for the Paris Agreement, and co-steered COP15 to adopt the “Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework”, making historic contributions to reversing biodiversity loss.

At multilateral platforms like the UN, China and Cyprus have consistently supported each other’s core interests, firmly upholding both the One China Principle and One Cyprus Principle.

Ⅶ With such huge trade volume, it is only natural that China and the EU have some differences and frictions in the process of cooperation.

The current state of China-EU trade is a result of the combined forces of the macroeconomic environment, international trade conditions and our respective industrial structure. One should not simply blame one side for the challenges. Historically, the EU maintained a trade surplus with China for the two decades prior to 1996. Since 1997, however, China has consistently run trade surpluses with the EU. Notably, these surpluses have shown an overall declining trend since 2022. Meanwhile, the EU has sustained a long-term services trade surplus with China, reaching $50.358 billion in 2024. Remarkably, 40% of EU-invested enterprises in China export their products back to Europe, creating a dynamic where “the surplus remains with China while profits flow to Europe”—a natural outcome of market economy principles.

As two major global markets, strengthening mutually beneficial cooperation between China and the EU is an imperative rather than an option. Our deeply integrated and complementary economic ties benefit both sides and should not be mischaracterized as“risks”. Both sides should view the trade relations from an all-round, more objective and positive perspective, rather than amplify differences and not talk about cooperation. What the two sides can and need to do is to drive trade upward and forward in a balanced way through two-way opening up, properly manage trade frictions through dialogue and consultation, and avoid letting specific issues take up the whole picture or making every trade issue about security.

Both China and the EU are victims of global trade distortions caused by U.S. tariff policies. The Chinese government maintains ample policy reserves to ensure that Chinese exports excluded from the U.S. market can be primarily absorbed domestically, with neither the intent nor the need to engage in market dumping or predatory pricing. There is no cause for excessive EU concern; rather, attention should focus on China’s domestic demand expansion and consumption stimulus policies, which create opportunities for more European businesses to access the Chinese market and boost bilateral trade.

Ⅷ The popularity of China’s new energy vehicles in the global market is the result of hard work by Chinese companies rather than government subsidies.

The competitiveness of Chinese products stems from China’s highly efficient and comprehensive industrial chain system, fully competitive market ecosystem, and persistent technological innovation. China’s subsidy policies are fully compliant with WTO rules and implemented with transparency. In 2024 alone, China produced 13 million new energy vehicles—a scale unattainable through subsidies, which would be fiscally unsustainable for any government.

90% of China’s new energy vehicles (NEVs) are sold domestically, with only 10% exported—of which merely around 5% reach the European market. Data from international organizations confirms that global production capacity for NEVs, solar products, and related technologies still falls short of demand, rendering the notion of “Chinese new energy overcapacity” unfounded.

BYD’s electric vehicles are gaining strong popularity in the Cypriot market, following the earlier entry of SAIC’s MG EVs. These Chinese brands provide Cypriot consumers with more choices and actively support the country’s green transition. However, the EU’s anti-subsidy investigation into Chinese EVs and subsequent imposition of high tariffs run counter to the interests of European consumers, including those in Cyprus. We should address this issue objectively and cooperatively.

Ⅸ Rare earth exports have never been and should never be an issue between China and the EU.

Leveraging its natural endowment and technological innovation, China has long shouldered the crucial responsibility of global rare earth supply, albeit at significant environmental and resource costs. The recent strengthening of China’s rare earth export management aims to transform the industry’s extensive development model toward standardized, orderly, and sustainable practices.

It is a sovereign right and international responsibility for any country to impose necessary regulations on dual-use items — goods that can serve both civilian and military purposes. China’s policy is in line with international practices and contributes to safeguarding world peace and stability.

China supplies virtually all rare earth materials required by the EU, making indispensable contributions to Europe’s digital and green transitions, competitiveness enhancement, and economic security maintenance. As long as export control regulations are observed and necessary procedures are followed, the normal demands of European companies will be guaranteed. The relevant Chinese authorities have also established a “fast track” for European companies.

Ⅹ The Ukraine crisis, occurring in Europe, has global ramifications. China’s position has been open and consistent.

China is not the creator of the Ukraine crisis nor a party to it. China has been committed to promoting talks for peace. China has never provided lethal weapons to any party to the conflict, and strictly controls dual-use items including drones. Normal trade between China and Russia, like that between any other countries and Russia, should not be subject to criticism. On the contrary, reports indicate that approximately 70-80% of key components in weapons captured by Ukraine originate from Western countries rather than China.

The EU’s contradictory approach—criticizing China-Russia relations while expecting China to influence Russia to end the conflict—is fundamentally unrealistic. China’s development of relations with Russia is guided by the principle of non-alliance, non-confrontation, and no-targeting of third parties. This is the right way for two neighboring major countries to get along. Good-neighborliness, enhanced cooperation, and mutual benefit are also how China interacts with all its neighboring countries.

Like the European side, China are committed to promoting an early conclusion of a peace agreement and establishing a balanced, effective, and sustainable European security architecture, hoping for lasting peace and stability in Europe.

China firmly opposes comparisons between Taiwan question and Ukraine crisis. Taiwan is an inalienable part of China, and the Taiwan question is purely China’s internal affair, which brooks no external interference.

China has not yet achieved complete national reunification, and Cyprus, which also suffers deeply from the pain of national division, understands China’s resolve to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity. We will never allow Taiwan to be seceded from China.